Edie Creek is located in the
Morobe Goldfield about 17km by road
from Wau in the Morobe Province of
Papua New Guinea (PNG). Four distinct
periods of mining development have
occurred since discovery of rich
alluvials in 1926. During the two years
following discovery, individual expat-
riate miners with gangs of native
labourers mining rich alluvial gravels
dominated the field. After the discov-
ery of hardrock mineralisation in 1927,
companies accumulated leases and devel-
oped extensive underground mines and
mechanical processing plants at Day
Dawn Mine and Edie Creek/Karuka Mine
between 1929 and 1942. After the Second
World War, the underground operations
were not re-opened, and mining activ-
ities mostly concentrated on working
alluvial and eluvial deposits. From
1962 onwards, Papua New Guinean miners
became increasing producers as company
activities declined. In 1990, Edie
Creek Mining Company Pty Limited, a
joint venture company involving Wau
landowner groups commenced operations
on New Guinea Goldfield's leases. It
currently mines by open pit methods,
rich quartz stringers and is invest-
igating the open pitting of the Edie
Creek/Karuka underground workings.
This paper describes the mining
and processing techniques employed
during the various phases of develop-
ment at Edie Creek in the past 70
years. The problems and hardships of
operating on a new and remote goldfield
are outlined.Abstract